Entry Points (2024)
500

Course Overview

Civil Engineering is concerned with the planning, design, construction and maintenance of the built environment. It encompasses minor and major structures, ranging from drainage systems, houses, commercial buildings, roads and bridges to multi-story buildings and water and wastewater treatment facilities. The work of civil engineers is most visible in the structures in which we live and work. Their contribution is also seen in transportation systems that we use on a daily basis such as subways, motorways, railways, airports and harbours. They are also involved in the design, construction and operation of complex water supply and sanitation systems for our ever-growing cities. In such projects and more generally, they perform a critical public and environmental health function as well.

The Civil Engineering degree programme sets out to develop the scientific, technical, organisational, IT and communication skills needed for a satisfying and rewarding career as a Civil Engineer.

Civil Engineers work in rapidly changing and challenging areas using traditional and new materials and techniques, and increasingly incorporating IT solutions at design and construction stage. You could be involved in schemes from design to management stage through to completion in what are often highly complex projects. Therefore, the profession combines creative skills with an aptitude for mathematics and technical subjects. At the most challenging end of the profession, where the management of large projects is involved, a high degree of administration skills are also required.

If you think you might enjoy developing and constructing bridges, tunnels, roads, railways, major building or other infrastructural projects, you should consider Civil Engineering. The skills you will learn will give you opportunities for work worldwide wherever development is taking place; not least in the fast-growing economies of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China).

Integrated Masters (ME) and Work placement

All students registering for an engineering degree at NUI Galway will be enrolled on an integrated five year programme; a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) (four years, Level 8) + a Master of Engineering (ME) (one year, Level 9). Upon successful completion of the five years of study, graduates will have the educational qualifications required for progression to Chartered Engineer. Students registering for an engineering degree at NUI Galway in 2019 will make a decision at the beginning of 3rd Year to either remain on the BE+ME pathway (five years) or exit with a BE (four years). Students on the BE+ME pathway will avail of advanced engineering modules, a substantial research and development project, and a work placement of eight months duration during the 4th Year. For students exiting with a BE, the work placement will be of four months duration after 3rd Year.

 Read more about Engineering work placements.

Accreditation

All Engineering Degrees at NUI Galway are professionally accredited by the statutory professional body, Engineers Ireland. This “Accreditation” means that the degree has been assessed and approved to meet the educational requirements for professional Engineers.

  • Under an international agreement (Washingon Accord), any Degree accredited by the National professional body (Engineers Ireland) is recognized internationally. So having an “Accredited” degree means that employers outside of Ireland can (1) understand the quality/education achieved by a graduate and (2) know that it is equivalent to their own Education system/standards, and (3) can offer appropriate employment on this basis. For example, certain functions (sign off on large civil engineering construction projects) can only be carried out by a chartered engineer.
  • Engineers Ireland changed the criteria for Accreditation in 2012, and now require a Masters (Level 9) qualification as the education standard required for Registered Professional Titles of Chartered Engineer* (prior to this, a Level 8 degree was required). The changes were implemented because the standard European engineering qualification (degree or diplome) is at level 9, and European industry maintains a strict differentiation between those engineers qualified at level 9 and those qualified at level 8. Any graduate interested in working in Europe/Worldwide is now strongly advised to get an accredited level 9 award.
  • Engineers Ireland accreditation can be obtained at the following levels:
    • Level 8:  4-year honours degree – associate engineer
    • Level 9:  5-year masters degree – chartered engineer

*A Chartered Engineer is the highest professional education standard in Engineering. A chartered Engineer is competent (because of their education and training) to assume personal responsibility for   the   development   and   application   ofengineering in research, design, construction, manufacturing, superintending, managing and  in  the education of the engineer. His/her work is predominantly intellectual and varied and not of a routine mental or physical character. It requires the  exercise  of  original  thought  and  judgement  and  the  ability  to supervise the technical and administrative work of others.

 

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, Mathematics, a aboratory science subject (i.e., Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Physics with Chemistry (joint), Agricultural Science or Computer Science) or Technology, and any two other subjects recognised for entry purposes. Additional requirements: Minimum H4 in Mathematics or, alternatively, obtain a pass in the Engineering Maths Qualifying Exam (held in the University).

Additional Requirements

Students must obtain a minimum of Grade H4 in the Higher Level Leaving Certificate paper in Mathematics or, alternatively places available (which may vary in number year to year) may be allocated to those candidates who have achieved the points requirement for the programme that year, who satisfy the general requirements for Matriculation in the College of Engineering and Informatics and who attain a Pass in the Engineering Maths Qualifying Examination. The places available will be allocated in strict order of merit based points attained in the Leaving Certificate. Due to capacity constraints, not all candidates who achieve a pass in the examination may receive an offer.

For A-levels: A minimum of Grade C in Mathematics is required

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2025

A Level Grades (2024)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

50

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date
NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY402

Course code

Course Outline

Year 5 optional

At the School of Engineering we are focused on ensuring that you will be educated to the highest standards, and will have the necessary qualifications to avail of all of the professional opportunities presented to you, both in Ireland and across the world. You will be enrolled on an integrated five year programme; a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) (four years, Level 8) + a Master of Engineering (ME) (one year, Level 9). Students on the BE+ME pathway will avail of advanced engineering modules, a substantial research and development project, and a work placement.  Upon successful completion of the five years of study, graduates will have the educational qualifications required for progression to Chartered Engineer. Full information on the optional 5th Year is provided here.

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject
Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject
A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Further Education

Upon completion of the undergraduate degree, suitably qualified students have the option to enrol and continue their studies to Master’s or PhD level.

Students can advance to Master’s level (ME) through our one year taught Master’s programme (September-June) that builds on the successful completion of their undergraduate programme, subject to a sufficient standard (2nd Class Honours minimum). This programme is an integrated follow-on to the BE programme and is designed to meet Engineers Ireland’s criterion for Level 9 degrees, providing graduates with a route to Chartered Engineer status that will be recognised worldwide.

Master’s degree education is becoming increasingly the norm internationally in Engineering, and this programme strengthens the ability of our graduates to compete nationally and internationally at the highest level for employment in industry and other sectors of the economy.

In our PhD programme, students develop innovative state-of the-art solutions to current problems in civil engineering. Students will specialise in one of the discipline’s areas of research, working with a high degree of independence and becoming experts on their chosen topic. This work is usually presented at international conferences and published in journals.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Graduates from this programme will find employment in:

  • Consulting/Contracting (dealing e.g. with Structures, Transportation, Public Health, Offshore and Coastal Engineering)
  • Government Departments
  • Semi-State Organisations
  • Local Authorities

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€7,268 p.a. (€7,408 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

Fees: Tuition

€4,268 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Non EU

€27,000 p.a. (€27,140 p.a. including levy) 2025/26


For 25/26 entrants, where the course duration is greater than 1 year, there is an inflationary increase approved of 3.4% per annum for continuing years fees**.
**Excludes Full-Time EU Undergraduate fees.  These are fixed and do not change.

Please note that the fee structure in the fifth year differs and is considered a Postgraduate course for funding purposes. Please see here for rates charged in 2025/26. 


What Our Students Say

James

James Boyce |   BA (Civil Engineering)

As a very mature student (with over 25 years in a previous career) I am now in my final year in Civil Engineering. My experience of the course has been both challenging and rewarding. I have built up a strong wide-ranging knowledge base. This has been achieved through a well designed and structured course presented by helpful and supportive lecturers. I have thoroughly enjoyed the course (even though studying has been hard at times) and this is due in no small way to the friendliness of my fellow students and the open and easy atmosphere of the University itself.

What Employers Say

Majella

Majella Henchion, BE MSc |   Networks Programme Owner, ESB

As a major employer of graduates from University of Galway’s Energy Systems, Mechanical, Civil and Electrical/Electronic Engineering programmes, ESB welcomes the establishment of University of Galway’s integrated five-year Accredited Master of Engineering degrees. We see great value in the additional educational attainment in and of itself but also as a key step in progression towards Chartership which is important for our Engineers because of the critical infrastructural nature of our work and the general management capability Chartership represents. ESB also welcomes the positioning of the work placement programme between the fourth and fifth years of study as it will enable the students to be given greater responsibility and experience a greater range of ESB’s work in the energy sector. We believe the movement of the industry placement makes it of greater value to the student, the undergraduate employer and to any post-graduate employer of that engineer.
Declan

Declan Costello |   Senior R&D Manager, Medtronic

Medtronic welcomes the expansion of the University of Galway Engineering programs to an integrated five-year Accredited Master of Engineering degree. Medtronic already employs a large number of University of Galway Engineering graduates and the move to a five-year program aligns with international best practice, provides a more highly educated talent pool and facilitates an extended work placement which is hugely beneficial to both the company and the student.